Major local bus operator Arriva is set to discontinue 14 routes in High Wycombe and Aylesbury in July – does it mean your journey will cost more?

Arriva will close its Wycombe and Aylesbury bus depots on Saturday, July 27, with competitors Carousel Buses and Redline stepping in from July 28 to cover the 14 services being axed in the closure. 

In what’s shaping up to be a fairly seamless handover, passengers will see almost no change to the majority of local routes, notwithstanding some timetable and number modifications.

One potential area of concern, however, is whether single-fare tickets could cost more under a new transport company.

In a popular move, Arriva joined other bus operators around the UK in signing up for a £2 fare cap scheme at the tail end of 2022 – an initiative designed to boost public transport that runs until December 2024.

And in what is sure to be music to their ears, next month’s transfer to Carousel and Redline will have no impact on customers’ pockets as both rival services are also signed up to the government scheme.

READ MORE: High Wycombe pub on London Road to be knocked down and replaced with new flats

The only services not included in the cap on adult single tickets under Carousel are the 5 and BB12 lines, both of which run to local schools and have not been indicated as replacement lines for journeys previously covered by Arriva.

Luke Marion, managing director at Carousel, has repeatedly reassured locals that they “need not be concerned” about losing access to the bus routes they rely on for everyday travel.

Speaking last month, he said: “Carousel is ready to step in to ensure bus users can still get where they need to go. We will ensure that Wycombe and the surrounding area is covered by a very similar level of bus services day-to-day – albeit with different coloured buses running the routes.”

Click here for more information about the changes to your usual journey.